Back in April we announced the release of Star Trek: Ascendancy by Gale Force Nine, "an accessible 4X sandbox game where 50 years of Star Trek provide a galaxy of possibilities.", in the game players will take control of one of the major Star Trek powers as they seek to establish and develop their civilization. The game board is made up of planets, with travel lines between them and the map will grow dynamically as the game progresses over an estimated two to three hour playthrough.

News of the game was well received by fans who fortunately don't have much longer to wait until the game is released.

Coming soon: A glorious battle!The base game received closed testing back in December and was scheduled for a Summer release with Cardassian Union and Ferengi Alliance expansions before the end of 2016. The release date has now been confirmed as being the 3rd of August with the game being released at Creation Entertainment's Star Trek Las Vegas event which runs from the 3rd of August to the 7th of August (you can learn more about the event HERE).

Attendees will be the first to be able to purchase the game and will also have the opportunity to learn how to play with the creators of the game, Gale Force Nine.

Can't get to Las Vegas but want to be one of the first to play? If you can get to Indiana you can get your hands on the game just one day later as Gale Force Nine will also be at Gen Con which runs between August the 4th and August the 7th (you can learn more about Gen Con HERE).

A sneak peak at the upcoming Cardassian faction.Not able to get to either event but still want the game as soon as possible? You can now pre-order Star Trek: Ascendancy from Gale Force Nine's website (HERE) for $100 although Gale Force Nine have not yet confirmed when pre-order customers will receive their game.

In other Star Trek: Ascendancy news you can start learning how to play now via the helpfully titled 'How to Play' section of the game's website (click HERE) and can also download a copy of the Star Trek: Ascendancy rulebook HERE.

In addition to the Cardassian and Ferengi expansions which could be released as little as a month after the main game there are also rumours that Gale Force Nine plan to release further expansions over the next year bringing an additional 9 factions to those already announced or included in the base game.

One of these will apparently be the Borg who, unlike the other factions, won't be playable and instead will be a powerful NPC adversary that will be a constant potential threat to all the other players, more closely mirroring their role in Star Trek lore rather than simply being another playable faction.

Are you looking forward to Star Trek: Ascendancy? Have you already pre-ordered? What do you think of the game mechanics? What factions do you think will be added via future expansions?